Housing

Conditions of Tenancy - Chapter 13

Using the property

This section explains how you may use the property.

The property is your private home

You, your friends and relatives, and any other person living in or visiting the property (including children), must not do the following.

13.1 Use the property other than as a private home.

13.1a You must not run a business from your home without our written permission. We will not refuse our permission unreasonably unless we feel the business is likely to cause a nuisance to other people, or damage the property.

13.1b You may need to get further permission (including planning permission) and you may have to pay business rates. You are responsible for making sure you receive relevant permission and you are registered to pay business rates.

13.1c You must not run an organisation or an action or campaign group from your home, or use your address as a main contact point for that activity, if it then causes inconvenience to your neighbours or harms the reputation of your neighbourhood. You should check any use with your local housing office before you continue.

13.1d We will withdraw our permission if:

You do not receive the relevant permission; or
After permission is granted, the business causes a nuisance

13.1e We will not allow you to run the following businesses from your home.

Car repair and maintenance
Printing
Any business where you would have to use hydraulic equipment, industrial sewing machines or controlled substances such as chemicals
Shops or wholesale businesses where customers would have to visit the property; and
Any business that would cause a nuisance due to more vehicles being parked in the area

13.2 Invite other people to live with you so that the number of people living in your home is more than the maximum number shown on your tenancy agreement. We may take action to repossess the property if you overcrowd it.

13.3 Sublet the property. From time to time, we will carry out audit checks to make sure that our properties are occupied by the original and legal tenant and that the property has not changed hands or been sublet. You must cooperate with any investigation and give us any information we ask for. If you refuse to cooperate or give us the information asked for, we will take action to repossess the property.

13.3a We sometimes find that keys to our properties have been sold on and that accommodation has changed hands and is no longer occupied by the legal tenant. We run a tenancy audit to check our homes each year. By doing this, we can be sure that we provide accommodation to people who have properly applied and need accommodation the most. We can also make sure that people do not push their way to the front of the queue for housing by abusing the system. It is in the interests of all legitimate tenants living in our properties to cooperate with this audit.

For more information and advice, please contact your local housing office.

Contact

Stephen Clarke

Divisional Director of Housing Services

Roycraft House

15 Linton Road

Barking

IG11 8HE

Tel: 020 8227 3738

Fax: 020 8227 5730

Textphone: 020 8227 5755

Email: stephen.clarke@lbbd.gov.uk|